November 3, 2004

From the Cruel to the Unusual

Okay, turning to the Senate, we now have a whole crop of Republicans who are either certifiably crazy — or who hold such hateful or prejudiced views that they might as well be.

In Kentucky, we have Jim Bunning, who has been experiencing paranoid delusions. Mr. Bunning recently mistook his opponent, Daniel Mongiardo, for one of Saddam Hussein’s sons, and also accused Mongiardo of beating up his wife. (Even nuttier, though, is the fact he doesn’t read the papers and stays informed exclusively through Fox News.)

Then, there is Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who assumes that being the daughter of the previous senator makes her qualified to succeed him.

Jim DeMint, in South Carolina, feels that gays and unmarried pregnant women shouldn’t be allowed to teach in a classroom. DeMint, by the way, is in favor of outlawing abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

Finally, new Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn performed sterilizations on women without their consent, and thinks blacks are genetically inferior. He calls treaties between the U.S. and Indian nations “a joke”, complains about “rampant” lesbianism in Oklahoma public schools, and advocates the death penalty for doctors who perform abortions.